


My Life Would Suck Without You

by hesflickers



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, but it's like a permanent one shot now lmao, idk maybe i'll add more in the future, lol, so i was gonna make this a story, uh, yee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 16:55:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13861944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hesflickers/pseuds/hesflickers
Summary: Louis meets Harry at a Starbucks on campus, and overthinks the number that's written on the cup he's given. Awkardness, cuteness, and embarrassment ensues.*Not even near finished, and not sure where I'm going with this, but please check it out !!





	My Life Would Suck Without You

**Author's Note:**

> hey !! if you're reading this, thanks for checking out my fic !! this is my first one, and i am NOWHERE near finished with this, but i wanted to post my first chapter to get some feedback (i'm cool with constructive criticism, but don't be mean to be mean), and see how it does and if people even like it :)
> 
> there will probably be a lot of time in between updates because of school and it's hard for me to write (but i still love it) so bear with me !! enjoy !!

Louis got out of bed like he did every other morning before. Except today was a wonderful day - he didn’t have any classes that he was required to go to. So instead, he had gotten dressed, and grabbed his wallet off his small desk, and went outside.

He had wanted to get some breakfast, so he went to the campus Starbucks, intending to get a coffee. What he got instead was a wink from the barista, and a phone number on his coffee cup with the name “Harry” written on the side of it in blocky letters.

Louis pretty much ignored the whole thing until later that night when he was at his desk on his laptop, and realized the drink was still there. He nearly forgot about the number until he went to go throw the cup out - and upon seeing it - decided to write it down before it was lost forever.

Aside from that, he didn’t think about it any more. He wasn’t even sure if he would ever call the boy, though with his dimples and green eyes he surely wouldn’t mind seeing him around.

And it definitely wasn’t this thought that slowly put him to sleep that night.

* * *

The day after that was a horrible one. Louis had a splitting headache, and absolutely did not want to go to any of his classes. So, he didn’t.

Instead, he got someone to take notes for him while he made his way to the same Starbucks again. He just wanted coffee, he thought, and any chance of him running into the boy again would just be a coincidence.

He didn’t, though. “Where’s Harry?” Louis asked nonchalantly, leaning up against the counter as he waited for his drink.

The boy working today - Liam - told him, “Oh, he has classes Tuesday and Thursday, sometimes Saturday. He has those mornings off.”

Louis nodded his head, and thanked Liam for the drink once it was ready.

And he definitely wasn’t disappointed as he walked out of the Starbucks, coffee cup in hand that was vacant of any phone number or winky face.

Louis spent the day lazing around, tending his headache. His roommate Niall was no help, constantly talking his ear off about this kid in his class that keeps pulling pranks on the teacher, and how it’s “funny as fook seeing the teacher’s face go as red as a tomato.”

Honestly, Louis didn’t really care, he just wanted to be left alone. But he listened anyway, because he had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do.

That night, Louis looked in his contacts at the number - he named it Harrybucks, so clever, he knew - and thought about texting. But what the fuck was he supposed to say? It had already been a day, and besides, it would probably be awkward.

Like, “Hi, I’m Louis, the guy you gave the coffee to the other day at Starbucks.” If he was being real with himself, this Harry guy probably gave his number out to lots of people in the hopes that at least one of them will respond.

It didn’t appear that Louis would be one of them. Even though he really wanted to be.

And no, he didn’t fall asleep thinking about it again.

* * *

When Louis woke up in the morning, he decided he would try going to the Starbucks again. He just wanted coffee, that was all. It had nothing to do with the boy with the curly hair, or the fact that his coworker said he worked today. Nothing at all to do with that.

So once again, Louis found himself walking in the campus Starbucks. As he waited in line, he realized that it may have just been easier if he were to text or call Harry, but he just wasn’t sure how to. He had never done this before.

When Louis got up to the counter to order, green eyes met his blue ones. So did a smile.

“Hi, what can I get for you today?” Harry said with a loose smile on his face.

“Um, just a uh, a coffee with two shots of espresso. Please,” he added, already feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks.

“Coming right up,” Harry told him, giving him a wink as he did so. If Louis’ face got any redder because of that, he didn’t pay attention to it.

Two minutes later, his drink was placed on the counter and his name was called out. “Thank you,” Louis said, grabbing his drink.

“Have a nice day Louis,” Harry replied, already going back to his work.

Louis walked back out the door, and the cool air that hit his face and arms was refreshing. It was getting too hot in there.

It was when Louis got to his first morning class, setting his coffee on his table besides his laptop, that he noticed writing on his cup again. He tentatively circled the cup around so he could read it, and actually let out a soft giggle as he read what Harry had wrote.

It had his number once again, except this time it said along with it, “Did you lose it or something ;)”

And no, it did not make his day. And Niall definitely didn’t ask who his boyfriend was when he walked into his dorm with a huge smile on his face. It also wasn’t Louis who told Niall to shut the fuck up and go suck a dick, while Niall gave him a knowing smirk.

Once again that night, Louis thought about texting Harry. But, once again, he didn’t.

* * *

Today Louis didn’t go to Starbucks. And it wasn’t because Harry didn’t work that day. It was simply because he wasn’t in the mood for coffee.

Louis only had one class today, and it was English Literature. They were currently talking about Shakespeare, which Louis actually found fascinating. Granted, he didn’t always understand it, but he found the writing and the plays to be highly interesting. He was secretly hoping that his theatre class would do a Shakespeare production for their class play.

After class ended, Niall texted him asking if he wanted to go watch the school’s football game. Louis wasn’t about to go, but Niall promised there would be alcohol. Louis had a sudden interest in wanting to go watch their team play.

He met up with Niall at the top of the bleachers, and Niall handed him over two of the flasks he had brought with him. “Seriously Niall, how many of these do you have?” Louis asked, already taking a swig. Whiskey.

“Now, Louis, is that one of your rhetorical questions again?” Niall answered, taking out a flask of his own.

Louis didn’t respond, just rolled his eyes and laughed. Him and Niall had a strange relationship. He wasn’t sure if Niall considered him his best friend, but Louis definitely considered Niall his. Sure, they didn’t always have the deepest conversations, but Niall was a faithful friend who had never let him down, and was always there for Louis when he needed him.

So, the two of them sat there on the highest bleacher, drinking their whiskey as the cold air nipped at their faces, talking shit and watching the game play out below. Louis wasn’t paying much attention, not until the announcers mentioned a certain name.

“And there’s Harry Styles! Player 28, just stole the ball and is now running down the field, as he makes a successful pass to Zayn Malik…”

Now, Louis knows very well that there are probably over a dozen people at his school named Harry. But. 

But… nothing. Louis had no good excuse to believe that it was his Harry from Starbucks, except that he wanted it to be him.

“What are you looking at Louis? See something you like?” Niall waggled his eyebrows, and Louis laughed, shoving him.

He thought about telling Niall, weighing the pros and cons of it. Cons include endless suffering and jokes being made on his behalf, but the pros were that he could maybe get some advice on what to do.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to tell Niall.

“So… Niall.” He paused, and when he didn’t continue, Niall said, “Well get on with it. I don’t have all day mate, I have homework I have to get someone to do for me.” Louis rolled his eyes, but continued anyways. “So uh, there’s kind of this guy.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of’?”

“Well… I saw him at Starbucks the other day, and he wrote his number on my cup, and I never texted back.”

“Oh, so he was ugly then.”

“Niall, no! Let me finish.”

“Geez, fine, was just saying.”

“So anyways, I never texted back, and the next day I went again and he wasn’t there but I managed to find out his work schedule-”

“I see. You’re a stalker now. Please continue.”

“Niall is it possible for you to shut the fuck up for two seconds?” Niall just laughed. “So then I went back yesterday and he was there again and he recognized me and said my name when I left and he wrote his number on my cup again and Niall he’s really cute and I want to talk to him but I don’t really know how and I just realized that he may be on the field down there and that he might be on the football team and I don’t know what to do-”

Louis was abruptly cut off by Niall shaking his shoulders. “Louis. Calm. The fuck. Down, mate. Jesus. Take a deep breath in.” Louis did as he said. “Now let it out.” Again, Louis listened. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re either going to go down there and talk to him, or I’m going to and you’re not gonna like that.”

Niall let go of Louis’ shoulders, and Louis slumped back against the bleachers. “But Niall, what do I even say?”

“Just tell him something, I don’t fucking know. Say he had a good game or summat. Now, go.”

“But Niall-”

Niall stood up, making to look as if he were going to go down and talk to Harry himself. Then Louis stood up, yelling, “Fine! Fine! I’m going, I’m going.”

As he was halfway down the stands, he heard Niall yell at him, “Don’t make a fool of yourself!”

Louis was still running down the bleachers, but he turned back up towards where Niall was to yell something to him, when he ended up tripping and falling flat on the ground, scraping his hands on the gravel. “Oh, fuck,” he muttered, wincing as he went to go stand back up. When he took a glance upwards, though, there was a mess of curls in his face, and a mischievous look in two green eyes, a hand outstretched towards him.  
“You all right down there?” His voice was just as smooth after having played a football game. It really wasn’t fair.

Louis took his hand - which was both surprisingly soft and calloused at the same time, how did he manage that? - and tried to think of something to say to recover himself.

“Yeah, but one could say that I just fell for you,” Louis tried, already groaning internally at the stupid line. Instead, he heard a small, beautiful laugh come from the boy.

Louis looked up, seeing the boy smile. God, was he beautiful. 

“So um, that was a good pass you made earlier.”

Harry gave a cheeky smile before saying, “Thank you. Do you follow football much?”

“Uh, not really. I just came with my friend up there.” He pointed to Niall, who made a show of standing up and waving to them exaggeratedly. Louis suddenly couldn’t remember why he was friends with him.

Harry just nodded his head, and Louis was at a loss for what to say. He had never been good at this, which is why he was never the one to initiate everything. He was always the one to wait for someone else to make the first move.

“Sorry I never texted. I didn’t lose your number, by the way.”

“Oh,” Harry said, slightly shocked. “So…”

“So hand me your phone.” Harry did as he was told. “I’ll just give you my number, and then you can text or call me first and be a proper gentleman.” Louis finished putting his number in the phone, then handed it back to Harry, their fingers brushing against one another.

“Thanks, Lou.” Harry said cheekily, staring down at the number that was now in his phone.

“Um, I’m gonna go now. Talk to you later I guess, Harry?” The name fell off his tongue so smoothly.

“See you around, Lou!” Harry shouted after him, Louis completely ignoring the way the nickname made his stomach feel like butterflies.

Niall met up with him, and they walked back to their dorm. “So I take it things went well?” He asked, noting the look on Louis’ face.

“It didn’t go horrible,” Louis said softly, falling onto his bed.

Again, he didn’t text Harry first that night, but he did receive a text around midnight, when he was somewhere in between being awake and being asleep.

“Goodnight Lou x” it simply said. No, Louis didn’t freak out for five minutes before responding back with a just as simple, “Goodnight Harry.”

* * *

Louis would be lying if he said he wasn’t expecting to get a text from Harry that morning. And he would also be lying if he said that seeing that he did in fact have a good morning text didn’t put a huge grin on his face.

Louis had two afternoon classes today but no morning ones, so he decided to take up most of his morning by hanging out at the Starbucks. Before he went, though, he spent some extra time deciding what he should wear, and how he should do his hair.

It was fifteen minutes spent in front of the bathroom mirror until Niall barged in and mussed up his hair into a “messy fringe” and kicked him out of the bathroom, telling him he looked fine and that Harry was gonna be drooling over his ass.

It was getting colder by the day outside, and Louis still didn’t have a proper jacket to keep him warm. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, trying to keep them warm. A light dusting of snow covered the ground, and he was absolutely freezing by the time he got into the Starbucks. Luckily, nobody could tell the blush on his cheeks was from the small wave Harry gave him upon entering the building, and not because of the cold.

When he got up to the register, his coffee was already made, and he looked at Harry with his eyebrows raised. He paid and said thank you, and before he went to go sit at a table Harry stopped him, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

Louis looked up at him, and was surprised to see him nervous. It was nice knowing he could have that effect on someone.

“So, Louis.”

"Yes Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath, rolling his eyes before looking straight into Louis’ and asking, “Would you like to go out with me later tonight?”

A smile creeped across Louis’ face, but he tried to contain it, not look so giddy at the thought of a date with Harry.

“I would love that,” he replied softly, hand hovering over Harry’s. Harry looked down at them, and when he looked back up at Louis his dimples were showing. Louis removed his hand, and said, “You’ll text me then?”

“Dress nice!” Harry yelled from behind the counter, Louis already walking out the door. He had intended on spending his morning in the shop, but all thoughts of that disappeared from his mind when Harry asked him out, his thoughts being filled with that instead.

Niall had classes all day, so his dorm, for once, would be empty and quiet. But, Louis didn’t want that right now. He knew that if he were alone he would just obsess over the date and what was going to happen and what he should wear and blah, blah, blah. It wouldn’t be good for his health.

What he decided to do instead was go to the gym on campus, somewhere he hadn’t been in ages. Well, he’d gone once with Niall, but they ended up getting kicked out for “not using the equipment properly.” It wasn’t his fault that Niall wanted to try that thing where you put food on the treadmill while you lay at the end with your mouth open as the food falls in.

Louis didn’t want to just run in place, though. So, he said hello to the lady at the front desk, and then found an empty locker to put his things in, and decided to run some laps around the indoor track that they had on the upper level. He wasn’t necessarily in horrible shape, but he wasn’t in the best either, already losing his breath and needing to take a break after only two laps.

Louis stood by the drinking fountains, getting some water and catching his breath, when someone else walked over. The back of his jersey was familiar, and then it hit Louis why. “You’re on the football team, right?” he asked, looking at the other boy.

“Yeah, why?” His hazel eyes pierced Louis’, and it was extremely intimidating.

“Oh, I just recognized you from the game the other day. You did really good, by the way,” Louis said shyly, already regretting saying anything.

The other boy smiled, though. “Thanks man. I’m Zayn, by the way.” He held out his hand for Louis to shake, and he did, telling him, “I’m Louis.”

At the mention of his name, Zayn’s eyebrows lifted. “Louis, as in Harry’s Louis?” The fact that Zayn had said “Harry’s Louis” sent shivers down Louis’ spine, and gave him a warm feeling in his stomach. But, it also meant that Harry had talked about him to Zayn - and whether he wanted to be or not he was really curious as to what was said about him.

“Um, yeah,” Louis laughed, trying to figure out what to say. “We’re actually going on a date tonight.”

Zayn’s face erupted into a smile, saying, “I know. He told me where he’s taking you.”

“Oh,” Louis let out softly.

Zayn shoved his shoulder against Louis’ and said, “Oh don’t get all shy on me now Louis. You’re a nice looking lad and so is Harry - and you seem plenty nice to me. You two will get along just fine.” Zayn suddenly leaned forward. “And between you and me, he’s most likely going to be the one making a fool of himself tonight.”

Thoughts raced through Louis’ head at that - did that mean it was going to be an embarrassing date? Would he get embarrassed? What was Harry planning?

He looked to Zayn again, who was just looking at him with a look on his face that Louis couldn’t pin down. But he offered Zayn a smile which he returned, and then Zayn was running backwards on the track yelling “come on!”

And Louis followed him, deciding that he liked Zayn.

 

Later that night, Louis was sat in his dorm trying to figure out what he should wear. What kind of date was this? Was it casual, or should he wear something nice?

Niall was absolutely no help, making comments like “you’re not gonna be needing clothes anyways” and “just wear something that’ll be easy for him to rip off.” Something Louis would like to rip off is Niall’s mouth from his face. Or his lungs from his chest. Or his brain from his head, since he doesn’t use it anyways.

So Louis ended up wearing his tight black skinny jeans and a soft, sheer sweater. He messed with his hair until it was in a soft fringe across his forehead, and then said goodbye to Niall, who just winked at Louis. Louis proceeded to flip him off before exiting his apartment.

He and Harry had agreed to meet at Starbucks, since Harry had a shift today - he had promised Louis that he wouldn’t be in his work clothes though, which made Louis laugh. Louis wasn’t sure whether or not he should go inside and wait, or sit at one of the outside tables. He opted for the latter.

Snow had begun to fall in big, soft flurries around him, and the wind picked up slightly. If Louis was being honest, he had always loved the snow, loved the cold. It was beautiful, the way it glistened on the trees, on the houses, on the grass. And it was always so bright. 

Plus, the cold gave him an excuse to wear baggy clothing, and big soft, warm sweaters and jumpers. He wouldn’t admit it to himself, or to anyone, but it wasn’t just because they were comfortable - it was because he was insecure and they hid his tummy. But he didn’t think about that.

So Louis sat outside, admiring the snow as it fell to the ground, his nose and cheeks a light pink from the wind, when the bell jingled on the door and Harry stepped outside. Louis looked him over, his curly hair resting at his shoulders, parted so that the one side was swooping over the other. He was also wearing black skinny jeans - that Louis couldn’t help from staring at, they fit him so goddamned well - with a long black coat and a red scarf with golden leaves on it. All in all, he was stunning. Immediately Louis felt self-conscious about Harry when smiling at him.

The feeling nearly went away, though, when Harry returned the smile, even wider than Louis’. He wondered how one could be so happy, could be so beautiful. He was even more beautiful than the winter night unfolding around them.

“Hi,” Louis greeted him softly, standing up. There was a noticeable height difference between them, which would normally bother Louis, but for once, it didn’t.

“Hey,” Harry said fondly. “You look great.”

“Oh, um, thanks. You do too,” Louis awkwardly mumbled. He was thankful that the blush on his cheeks could be attributed to the cold rather than him blushing.

He didn’t think Harry’s smile could grow any wider, but it did. Harry extended his arm for Louis to take - which yes, he found very sweet and very cute, but also kind of funny - and Louis hooked his arm in Harry’s. They walked for a few minutes in silence, though not an uncomfortable one, with Harry leading Louis.

Louis absentmindedly kicked at a rock on the sidewalk, before turning to Harry and asking, “So where exactly are we going?”

Harry adjusted the scarf around his neck before turning to Louis and smiling, giving him a wink as he said “It’s a surprise.”

This made Louis scoff, which in turn made Harry laugh. As Harry led them god knows where, Louis wondered about that of Harry. How he was so carefree and happy and joyful, every minute. Louis wants to be like that.

After some minutes of small banter, Harry abruptly stopped and announced, “We’re here!” and no, Louis was not doing this.

They stood in front of a large outdoor ice skating rink, a building to their right where they could pay and get their skates. What Zayn had mentioned to him earlier about Harry embarrassing himself came to mind, and suddenly the idea of ice skating wasn’t so bad to Louis.

Louis looked to Harry, and could tell that he was nervous that Louis wouldn’t like it. So Louis gave him the softest smile he could and told him, “It’s perfect.” And he knew he had said the right thing when Harry’s face lit up like the sun.

He cleared his throat, and the pointed to the building, “Let’s get our skates, now shall we?”

“Wait,” Harry mumbled, checking his pockets, before giving Louis a devilish grin and yelling, “Race you there!”

He was already gone before Louis could even protest, running after him. It was very clear that Harry was a footie player and Louis was merely a theatre kid, when by they time Louis caught up he was out of breath, where Harry was just standing in line, completely unwinded.

“Nice one back there,” Louis huffed, not unkindly.

“Thank you. You know, you should always be prepared for anything.”

“Mmhmm,” was Louis’ only reply, smacking Harry on the arm.

They both went up and got their skates, and no, there was no mention of the size difference in their skate sizes. So what if Louis was small. Actually, he was just as tall as anyone else, it was Harry that was freakishly tall.

Having got their skates, they went outside to one of the benches to put their skates on. Harry had his on easily, but Louis was having trouble with the laces. “Need some help with those?” Harry asked him, already grinning.

Now, Louis could tell him to shove off and do it himself, but one, he would probably embarrass himself when he wasn’t able to figure it out, and two, it would just be much easier for Harry to do it. Really.

“Move back,” Harry told him, and so Louis did. He scooted back on the bench, and raised his leg so that his foot - and skate - lay on Harry’s thigh. He quickly laced the skate, and when he tied it he looked up at Louis from where he knelt on the ground and asked, “Is that too tight?”

Louis was blushing, again. He really needed to get that under control. “Um, yeah, that’s good.” And then Harry went to the other skate. When he was finished, he stood up, brushing his pants off. “Ready?” he asked Louis, reaching to pull him up from his sitting position.

As Louis took his hand - which was so, so soft - he said, “As ready as I’ll ever be. But, I must tell you, Harry, I’m not the most graceful skater.”

And Louis was graced with that laugh again that he didn’t think he’d ever get used to, though - what was he saying? They were only on their first date.

“Don’t worry Lou, I’m not the best ice skater out there either.”

Then Harry guided himself and Louis onto the ice, and Louis was hesitant at first. He wobbled on his skates, already almost falling, but Harry caught his arm and held him up. Louis looked up shyly and smiled, but Harry didn’t let go of his arm, which Louis was grateful for.

It took some time, but Louis eventually found a good rhythm, and soon he had some decent speed as he made his way around the rink, Harry right by his side so that he was in between him and the wall, support on either side.

But when Louis looked to his left, Harry wasn’t there anymore. He looked in front of him to see Harry skating backwards, his arms extended for Louis to take them. He did, laughing as he did so, but also was starting to wonder when Harry would get embarrassing - all he saw so far was that Harry was not only a good footie player, but a good ice skater too.

Harry dragged him along the rink, Louis screeching along the way whenever he lost balance, and Harry eventually pulled Louis toward the center while Louis shook his head vehemently, but it was no use. Harry pulled Louis close to him, and Louis thought he was going to kiss him right there, which he wouldn’t have minded, not at all, but instead he whispered in Louis’ ear, “Hold on.”

And then they started to twirl, Harry moving them in a circle. The pure act and joy of it all made Louis laugh louder than he had in a while, looking at Harry’s face mirroring him, the lights around the rink blurry as they spun around.

Then, the embarrassing part came which he had been warned of. “Louis, stay right there, watch this.”

“Harry, what are you-” Louis started to say, but cut off when Harry skated away from him and attempted to do some sort of skating move - though what he had no clue - and Harry fell on his ass. Louis tried to muffle his laugh as he skated over to help Harry up, but Harry was already up and skating again.

“Wait, let me try again, I promise it’s cool!”

So, Louis found out, the embarrassing part of Harry skating was that he tried to do “impressive” moves, but always failed, falling on his ass instead. And then he’d keep getting up, trying again, and failing just the same. Which was actually rather funny.

This time, when Louis skated over to Harry, he still lay on the ice, looking defeated. Louis held out his hand for Harry, saying, “Well, I think you’re going to have to cut your losses Harold. I think the ice has taken most of the feeling out of your ass, if I had to guess.”

This made Harry roll his eyes, but his cheeks were rosy and if Louis had to guess it wasn’t just because of the cold. He took Louis’ hand, but when he was able to get balance back into his feet neither of them moved away.

_This is it,_ Louis thought. _He’s going to kiss me._

But he didn’t. He stuck his tongue out at Louis and then dragged him to skate some more.

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They ended up staying until ice skating was closed to the public. They had returned their skates, and were walking along the sidewalk when Louis spotted a little dessert shop that was still open. Harry followed where he was looking, and had already started to walk that way, yelling “Come on!”

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There was a soft chime as they opened the door, the smell of coffee and sweets filling their noses. The place was mostly empty, only a few people scattered at tables.

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While Harry went to look for a table - which Louis didn’t see the point, there were open tables everywhere and it’s not like many people were rushing in at this time of night - Louis went to the counter to order.

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“Hi, how can I help you?” The girl asked.

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“Um, I’ll take…” Louis looked for where Harry was, and couldn’t find him. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he was standing right next to Louis.

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“We’ll have two hot chocolates and… two of your largest brownies, please,” Harry finished.

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Louis went to pay, but Harry swatted his hand away. “This night’s on me.”

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The lady came back with their hot chocolate and brownies, and the two went to sit at the table Harry had set his coat down at, one in the corner by the window.

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Before Louis could sit down, Harry was pulling his chair out for him. “Thank you,” Louis said through a smile, yet another blush touching his cheeks.

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They were sat down and drinking their hot chocolate, and this was the part of the date Louis had been dreading. Everything else had been perfect, magical, fun… but now it was just the two of them alone, and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. He always messed up somehow, but he didn’t want to with Harry.

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It seems, though, that Harry was just as bad at this.

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He cleared his throat, and then looked anywhere but Louis when he asked, “So um… did you have fun? Was this okay?” And the tone in his voice suggested that he was nervous, that he was unsure of this. That he didn’t want to let Louis down.

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So Louis moved his hand across the table so it was holding Harry’s, the other hand moving to brush a curl out of Harry’s face. “It was wonderful, Harry.”

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Harry was so bashful. He just smiled at Louis and then nudged his leg under the table, making Louis laugh and pull his hand away from Harry’s.

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“You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

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“Do what?”

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“Move your hand away.”

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“Oh… okay.” Louis moved his hand back, Harry taking it and holding it in his.

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The rest of the time they were there Louis couldn’t stop smiling, and neither could Harry, and the two made talk about random, small things - they talked about school, what they were going for, what their hobbies were - just getting to know the small things about one another.

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By the time midnight came around, they decided to leave. But they lived in opposite directions, and Louis wasn’t about to let Harry walk him to his apartment, to which he’d then have to walk twice the distance in the dark.

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It was a crescent moon, and what little light it gave through the clouds shone on their faces, snow still softly falling around them. Louis fixed Harry’s scarf, while Harry brushed a snowflake off of Louis’ cheek. Both were blushing, but they both just said it was because of the cold.

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“So… thank you for tonight, Harry.”

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“Thank you for coming with me,” he replied.

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Louis bounced back on the balls of his feet, unsure exactly how they were going to leave this. “Will we be doing this again sometime?”

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“Only if you want to, Lou. I mean, I think I’m a catch, but-”

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Louis smacked his arm, but his answer was fond. “I want to.”

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Harry gave him that smile again, the one Louis was starting to love, and then he was leaning closer to Louis and Louis was leaning closer to Harry, standing on his tiptoes, and then they were kissing. It was a soft kiss, and it wasn’t brief but it wasn’t long either. It promised more, but not more that night. It promised that they would go out again.

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Smiling, noses brushing up against one another, Harry told Louis, “I’ll see you around Lou. Text me when you get home.”

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And Louis giggled at that, he actually giggled. This boy was doing things to him.

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He pulled away from Harry. “I will. For both.”

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And then Harry was backing away in one direction and Louis in the other, neither wanting to turn away from the other, so they did that until they couldn’t see the other one anymore.

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When Louis got back to his apartment that night, Niall was already snoring in his room. He kicked his shoes off at the door, and set his keys and wallet on the counter.

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Once in his room, he quickly changed into some sweats and a loose t-shirt, before flopping onto his bed and shoving his face in his pillow, muffling his screams. He rolled over, the hugest smile on his face at how tonight had gone, when he remembered he was supposed to text Harry.

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He grabbed his phone from the small table next to his bed, and went to Harry’s number.

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_“I’m home. Safe and sound :)” ___

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Louis looked at what he had just texted and cringed. Why was he so awkward?

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Immediately he got a response, though.

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_“Me too. Goodnight Lou, can’t wait to see you again. Sweet dreams <3” ___

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And Louis wasn’t going to deny that the sweet dreams part and the heart didn’t make his stomach flutter.

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He thought about what to text back, before giving up and just sending,

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_“Night Haz. Next time is on me ;)” ___

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And when Louis fell asleep that night, he dreamt of hot chocolate and curls and green.

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End file.
